A terrible TV night for Campbell

That was a dismal effort on TV by Premier Gordon Campbell. Especially for an address that was crucial to rebuilding Liberal support and slowing the recall movement.
Campbell announced a surprise big income tax cut - 15 per cent on the first $72,000 of income - effective Jan. 1. Someone earning $50,000 a year will save about $7 a week.
The tax cut will knock about $600 million off government revenues.
Two points are relevant about that number.
First, it�s less than one-third of the $1.9 billion in additional taxes imposed on individuals and families by the new HST.
And second, it comes as the government is running deficits and cutting services because revenues are down. People with developmental disabilities are being forced out of group homes they have lived in for years. Seniors are waiting for health care. Schools are closing.
It hardly seems time for a tax cut.
Campbell announced a couple of education initiatives. The government will continue establishing StrongStart early learning centres. They help families prepare infants and young children for school.
It will begin assessing every child entering school for learning issues that can be addressed.
And Campbell made a goofy commitment. Within five years, he guaranteed, every Grade 4 student will meet expectations for reading, writing and math skills. Today, about 20 per cent of students fall short.
That�s a laudable goal. But it�s a ridiculous, empty political promise.
The children who will be in Grade 4 five years from now are about to enter kindergarten. Almost one-third of them, according to the province�s statistics, aren�t ready to succeed. About 20 per cent have spent their childhood in poverty.
Some 40 per cent of aboriginal children aren�t meeting basic skills expectations in Grade 4. How is that to be entirely changed in five years.
It would be wonderful, if Campbell had a plan to deliver on this promise.
But the education budget is set to rise 1.5 per cent next year and is effectively frozen the following year. With no money, how are schools going to improve the skills of thousands of children, many facing big challenges?
A tax cut and empty education promises. Not inspirational.
The largest block of time - and the first part of the speech - was devoted to defending the HST.
But there was nothing new. The Liberals had opposed harmonizing the provincial sales tax with the GST because of fears the freedom to set tax policy would be limited, Campbell said.
Then Ontario negotiated a deal with more flexibility and the federal government offered $1.6 billion if B.C. signed on.
And, said Campbell, the federal government demanded an instant commitment or B.C. would have to wait two years. (No one in the federal government has confirmed that ultimatum.)
�Should we have consulted more - I sure would have liked to,� Campbell said.
But he felt comfortable signing a deal that permanently shifted $1.9 billion in taxes from business to families and individuals without talking to MLAs or the public or doing financial analysis of the impact.
What�s extraordinary is that Campbell, again, didn�t take the chance to say he was sorry. Sorry that he had put Liberal MLAs in a tough spot. Sorry that so many people felt abused by the government.
Instead he suggested the problem was that British Columbians are just too dim.
Campbell said he talked to a businessman who had some trucks as part of the operation. He was �really upset� because the HST added seven per cent to the cost of his haircut
�But I pointed to the truck in his lot and I said �You see that truck over there?�?
�And he says, �Yep� and I said, �you?re saving about $5,000 on that truck.?
�And he said, �I never thought of that.?
That�s Campbell�s world. Any day, British Columbians will slap themselves on the forehead and say, �Yep, I never thought of that.�
Footnote: It�s hard to say why taxpayers should pay for this TV address. Campbell�s first televised speech to the province as premier, back in 2002, was paid for by the Liberal party. There was nothing in this message that could not have been delivered by press release Or, in the case of the tax cut, in the legislature.

Wisdom Teeth Removal (HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE)

HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

Wisdom teeth removal is never fun and it can be very expensive, too. No matter how much you hate to face the music, it is necessary to address this issue if you need to have your wisdom teeth taken out by a professional. There are some options to consider when undergoing a wisdom teeth removal procedure.

You don’t have to spend a lot of money on the procedure even if you have no insurance. There are wisdom teeth removal practices that will take care of your problem for next to nothing. I discovered this when I was in my early 20’s and uninsured.

My condition was pretty bleak. I was constantly in pain and I had begun to get severe headaches. Since I was working as a waitress at the time I really didn’t think that I had any options. There was no way I could afford wisdom teeth removal at all but I also couldn’t afford to let the condition go on as it was.

Not only were the teeth affecting how I felt, they had an effect on how I worked, too. People were having difficulty understanding me and I was also having trouble staying focused. This isn’t good when you work in an upscale restaurant with demanding clients to take care of. I really needed affordable wisdom teeth removal and everyone at work knew about it.

Good thing I let my predicament be known among the staff members. One of the busboys had an older brother who was attending school to become an orals surgeon. The busboy explained about a program that the university has to help their students learn about wisdom teeth removal. This process isn’t for the faint-of-heart.

In fact, I kind-of shied away from the idea of being a guinea pig for a student. The way the university ran the program was pretty simple. The professor would extract the first tooth and the student would complete the wisdom teeth removal for a grade. The whole idea weighed heavy on my mind.

However, when I thought about getting the awful teeth extracted for a fraction of the price of going to a regular oral surgeon, I couldn’t pass up the offer. Not only did I get the wisdom teeth removal procedure, I also wound up with a new lease on life.

I was free from headaches and I was completely pain-free. I would recommend going to a student program for wisdom teeth removal to anyone.

HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE - Wisdom Teeth Removal

Teeth Cleaning (HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE)

HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE

My daughter’s grandparents recently asked me if they could take her in for a teeth cleaning. I figured she was about due for one, and that if they wanted to pay for it, there was no reason to say no. She came home quite happy about her visit with the dentist, and I was glad to hear she didn’t bite anyone and she didn’t freak out. Moments like those in the past have not be quite as peaceful. I think that might change if we ever have to do something more than a cleaning. Goodness knows the dentist is not a lot of fun, but when you hear drills and strange instruments, you know someone is going to be unhappy.

Most children have a problem going to the dentist, and that is mostly the fear of the unknown. There are books you can read with them about going to the dentist. Though these can help, the often aren’t enough. Nothing is going to beat actually going there and seeing that everything is okay. The best way to do that is to take them in for a teeth cleaning a few times. That way, if something else happens, they aren’t going to be quite as freaked out when they have to go for something else.

My daughter really doesn’t need frequent teeth cleanings at her age, but I do get her in once a year. She starts school soon, and I know they will help keep an eye on this. I remember when I was young that we had them done right in school, with our parents permission of course, though I’m not so sure that they do this any more. I don’t even know if all schools can afford to have a dental hygienist on the staff any longer. I know we had it, but as it turned out, I found out that many of my friends that I know now never had one.

One thing that people forget about when they get older is to go in for teeth cleaning on a regular basis. I know that I didn’t do it for a while, but then again, I never thought I needed one. That thinking was rather stupid. A good teeth cleaning is good for the teeth, and it makes you feel better, at least for a little while. Now that I have to think about this for my daughter, I guess it’s time that I go in and get it done for myself more often.

HEALTH AND LIFESTYLE - Teeth Cleaning